At the beginning of April 2022 we present to you the Great cycling weekly fitness project team of amateur cyclists, Danny Lloyd, Steve Faulkner and Julia Barte, who embarked on six months of training, racing, time trials and long-distance riding. A month later, how are you doing? (Warning: Covid-19 makes multiple appearances!)
Danny Lloyd: ‘Happy as Larry to focus on Fred’
I have just returned from the Yorkshire Classic Sportive, which went very well, despite some technical hiccups. My power meter ran out before the start, so I had to judge my effort by heart rate alone. I also got a flat, but luckily, since I use tubeless tires, the sealant did its job and plugged the hole, once it had been sprayed all over my bike! My goal was to finish in 4hrs 30mins, but I did it in 3hrs 56mins, most of it alone, averaging 30.6km/h, so I was pretty satisfied.
>>> Read the CW Fitness Project update from last month <<
It was annoying not having power data as it was probably my best ride to date. It was a mixed month overall. I had intended to do Manchester Sheffield Manchester Sportive (April 3) but the weather was awful and I was feeling a bit under the weather so I decided against it. After contracting covid in February, I was very cautious about returning as I had heard that footballers returned to training too soon and suffered heart damage. I even invested in an ECG machine for added security.
PILOT PROFILE
Danny Lloyd
Age: 32
Hometown: Runcorn, Cheshire
Occupation: Oil Refinery Process Operator
rides for: Frodsham Wheelers CC
Current FTP: 288W | 3.6W/kg
Twitter: @DannyLloyd13
Instagram: dannylloyd13
APRIL SCORE SHEET: 1. Climb as much as possible in preparation for the Fred Whitton Challenge. Accomplished? Yes, preparation on target. 2. Pedal hard at Manchester Sheffield Manchester Sportive (April 3). Accomplished? No, the weather and the disease conspired against me. 3. Complete the Yorkshire Classic in 4hrs 30mins (April 24). Accomplished? Yes, I broke it – 3 h 56 min
PROJECT GOALS (MAR-OCT): Transform my goalkeeper body into a cyclist body; complete the Fred Whitton Challenge in under 8 hours (May 8); qualify for the Gran Fondo World Championship by finishing in the top 20% at the Tour de Cambridge (June 12); ride as hard as possible at the Etape du Tour (July 10); complete my debut critical run; smashing 24 minutes at my local 10-mile TT on my road bike; increase the power of 20 minutes to more than 4 W/kg
Although this time it was just a cough in the chest, I was determined to keep up the good habits, and took a few days off the bike and then went back to light training. Had a great weekend in Yorkshire in mid-April, combining a family holiday with some great hill riding in preparation for the Fred Whitton Challenge (8th May). My training structure remains the same: 12-14 hours per week, set by my trainer Jack Rees, but I also enjoy using the Wahoo Systm app, particularly the interactive, yoga, and core training sessions.*
I am doing my best to be as organized as possible, ordering nutrition and cleaning products in bulk, which has also saved me some money. I would like to explore my event feed with a nutritionist as I have only targeted 60-80g carbs per hour so far. I’m curious if certain products or meal routines might help me more. Watch this space. Now it’s time to prepare for the Fred Whitton. I’ve installed an 11-34 cassette, which gives me some smaller gears for steep climbs; I made a mini course guide to stick on my power; and my parents agreed to meet me at the top of Whinlatter to exchange a bottle. Everything is logistically in place; now I just need to get on the bike and walk.
*Wahoo has provided free Systm subscriptions to all three CW Big Fitness Project participants for the duration of the project. None of them are required to use Systm or mention it in editorial coverage.
Steve Faulkner: ‘Coming back cautiously from Covid’
I’m sorry to say that April was a bit of a waste for me. I tested positive for Covid the day before my birthday on March 24. My wife and I got infected and it affected us a lot; I was getting out of breath very easily and felt so exhausted that just walking up the stairs brought me down. I was testing positive for 12 days, and even a week later I was still feeling pretty bad, so I didn’t do any training.
When I finally started to feel better, I followed the ‘gradual return to play’ guidelines published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM): no exercise for at least 10 days, then a very gradual return to training over the next 10 days. I was monitoring my resting heart rate and heart rate variability, which have gradually returned to normal. I am being cautious and will do a stress EKG to check my heart before resuming the hard sessions.
PILOT PROFILE
steve faulkner
Age: 38
Hometown: Loughborough, Leicestershire
Occupation: Professor of sports engineering and physiology
Tours for: coalville wheels
Current FTP: 295W | 4.1W/kg (estimated)
Twitter: @SHFalkner
Instagram: stevefaulkner1984
APRIL SCORE SHEET: 1. Research equipment options (wheels, chainrings, bearings, clothing, etc.). Accomplished? Yes, selected bearing, wheels and hull. 2. Increase training volume. Accomplished? No, Covid stopped the game. 3. Refine the position of the TT bike. Accomplished? Yes, a few watts are saved.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT (MAR-OCT): Go under 20 minutes for a 10-mile time trial; regain my club’s (Coalville Wheelers) TT titles; keep focus on specific time trial training Run more time trials and improve my pace
In mid-April we went on a family holiday to Mallorca, where I tried running and cycling, but I still didn’t feel well. Only for the last week or so have I felt fully recovered, and last weekend I managed to get 90 minutes on the bike with some more intense efforts. With that said, I turned off my power meter, since I didn’t want to know! I was hoping to race in early May, but I know it’s not worth it. When I dare to turn my power meter back on, I’ll find out where I am, probably 20-30 watts down. It will take a few weeks to get the ‘Under-20 Project’ up and running again. On the plus side, being off the bike has given me time to re-look at kit and gear. I had a good day in the wind tunnel at Silverstone and did some experiments on drivetrain efficiency. After testing a variety of wheels, we found that using a disc wheel saved me about 12 watts at target speed. I went from using standard steel bearings to a ceramic bottom bracket and oversized pulley wheel, which saves 2-3% in terms of drivetrain efficiency. With my kit options more or less sorted, now I just need to get my body back up to speed!
From left to right: Danny Lloyd, Julia Barte, Steve Faulkner
(Image credit: Future)
Julia Barte: ‘Cracking in the cobblestones, conquering in Kent’
Having tested positive for Covid in mid-March, the first challenge for me last month was to make a full recovery so I could get back into training. I got a chest infection at the same time so I needed a course of antibiotics and was off the bike for almost four weeks. Unfortunately, on my first weekend back playing sports, I hurt my toe playing soccer – my foot got kicked hard! A trip to A&E confirmed that the toe was fractured, but the main thing is that it hasn’t stopped me from riding the bike.
In the middle of April, my partner Del and I went to France to participate in the Paris-Roubaix Challenge. We got there a couple of days early to practice riding on cobblestones, and I couldn’t believe how hard you have to push yourself to keep up the momentum! The event itself didn’t quite go as planned… Everything was going well at the start, and the weather was perfect, but on the first cobbled section, Arenberg Trench, Del’s wheel broke. We decided to call it quits and took the train home.
PILOT PROFILE
Julia Barte
Age: 30
Hometown: Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Occupation: Technological retail operations leader
rides for:1904RT; Southborough District Wheels (second claim)
Current FTP: 197W | 3.2W/kg
Twitter: @BarteJulia
Instagram: juliabarte
APRIL SCORE SHEET: 1. Recover from Covid-19 and return to training. Accomplished? Yes, he finally recovered. 2. Achieve a great performance at the 172km Paris-Roubaix Challenge (April 16). Accomplished? No, the companion suffered a mechanical problem.
PROJECT GOALS (MAR-OCT): Compete in as many races as you can; move to Cat 3 license; lose 6 kg without losing power; perform as strongly as possible at Etape Caledonia (May 15), Vätternrundan (June 18) and Etape du Tour (July 10)
The next day at 5am we headed to New Romney on the Kent CA25. As my first TT, it was a huge mental challenge and I was able to put some of the mental training I had been doing on the Wahoo Systm app into practice. Every time a negative thought popped up, I managed to change my mindset and focus on my average speed goal of 35 km/h. It worked! I was the fastest woman in the road bike category, with a time of 1hr 9min 24sec (21.6mph). I’ve put together a race schedule to help with my planning, and for the next month I’ll be taking part in regular Zwift and Club TT races; My main objective is the Etape Caledonia on May 15. Being in the CW Project is really beneficial, I already feel much more motivated. I’m even starting to feel like a local cycling celebrity; Recently a young man from my club wanted to chat after recognizing me from the magazine, how cool!
This article was originally published in the May 5, 2022 print edition of weekly cycling. subscribe online and get the magazine delivered straight to your door every week.
